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Opponents of Ohio Issue 1 score a win

Opponents of a proposal to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments scored a partial victory when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that some language in the proposal was misleading. The Ohio Ballot Board, which has a Republican majority, wrote the language for state Issue 1 on the special Aug. 8 ballot knowing it was wrong, but refused to change it despite opponents pointing out the problems. Instead, it took a court order to make simple changes. The language incorrectly stated the percentage of electors required for a constitutional amendment, effective Jan. 1, 2024, was 5 ...

Rail safety bill is facing obstacles

The rail safety bill, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance in response to the East Palestine train derailment disaster, is having some issues in the Senate and likely faces a roadblock in the House of Representatives. Regarding the lack of movement, Brown, D-Cleveland, told me: “I never promised you, David, or promised anybody in East Palestine that this was going to be easy. That’s certain. But I’m optimistic because so far, we’ve done it right.” The legislation was introduced March 1 by Brown and Vance, R-Cincinnati, and was approved 16-11 May 10 by the ...

Don’t expect a big August vote turnout

Turnout for nonpresidential elections is usually poor, but those who come out for August special elections take that percentage to a new level of bad. Last year’s August special primary election for state legislative seats became necessary after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the Ohio Redistricting Commission violated the state constitution by drawing gerrymandered General Assembly maps. Statewide turnout was 8 percent. he Republican-controlled Legislature voted in December to eliminate all August elections except if a local government or school district in fiscal emergency wanted to ...

Counterfeit pills: Attack on children

We hear it all the time, how perilous are these times in which we live. Everyone needs to be alert, aware, and prepared in the event that a threat becomes a crisis. Today we are going to talk about something that started to appear in our fair state last summer: Rainbow fentanyl, the deadliest drug threat in the United States right now. Children are the targets. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently took to media like YouTube to reach out to the families and educators in the state about a dire advisory: Rainbow fentanyl is made to look like candy (SweeTarts.) It has been found in ...

Vance backing Moreno won’t scare challengers

As a U.S. senator for less than five months, Republican J.D. Vance is hardly in a position to be a kingmaker. But he’s giving it a try, endorsing Westlake businessman Bernie Moreno in next year’s Republican primary for Ohio’s other Senate seat held by Democrat Sherrod Brown. In his Moreno endorsement, Vance said: “It’s time to turn the tides on the establishment insiders who sell out our country to special interests and elect more political outsiders like Bernie, who will always put America first in Washington, D.C.” Like Vance, Moreno made his fortune in the private ...

Vance stands up to Cruz on rail safety bill

When it comes to his bill to increase rail safety after the East Palestine train derailment disaster, criticizing fellow Republicans who oppose it doesn’t concern U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance. The freshman Republican senator from Cincinnati responded to criticism from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the bill during a Wednesday session of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Cruz said he is open to rail reforms, but that the bill co-sponsored by Vance and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, goes too far. Cruz said the bill would “empower” Transportation ...